Automatic musical instrument and music-sheet



E. W. SCHERR, IR. AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT AND MUSIC SHEET.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.23, 9I6.

Patented Mar. 22, 1921.

s lSHEETS-SHEET 1.

m N w. W. y

E. W. SCHERR, Jn. AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT AND MusIc SHEET.

APPLICATION FILED Aue.2s, IsIe.

Patented Mar. 22, 1921.

: 1,372,560. Egj

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVEN TOR.

E. Wl SCHERR, IR. AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT A ND MUSIC SHEET.

APPLICATION FILED AIIG.23, I9I6.

1,372,560. I Patented Mar. 22, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

INVENTOR.

EMILIUS WILLIAM SCHERR, JR.,

OF NEW YORK, COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE AEOLIANCONNECTICUT.

. AUTOMATIC MusIoAL INSTRUMENT AND Music-SHEET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 22, 1921.

Application led August 23, 19'16. Serial No. 116,484.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, EMILrUs WILLIAM SGHERR, Jr., a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at New York, in the county and State new and usefulImprovements in Automatic usical Instruments and Music-Sheets, of whichthe following is a specication.

My present invention is an improvement on automatic musical instrumentshaving laterally-traveling music-sheets with vertical tracker-bars. Ihave discovered that in playing this type of instrument, one has acertain unpleasant, leaning-backwardv sensation which I have found iseliminated by more or less inclining the tracker-bar and thelaterally-traveling music-sheet.

An additional object and advantage of the foregoin is that one marginofthe musicsheet is t ereby conveniently brought nearer the player thanthe other, upon which near margin the eyes will naturally focus and atthe same time see the rest of the sheet to the far edge, with little orno change in the focus or position of the eyes. With the verticallyrunning sheet, on the other hand, when positioned as usually so that theeyes of the player are about on a level with its middle portion, theeyes are-directed as much to one part or margin of the sheet as to theother, and becomev tired in shifting their focus up and down between thetwo edges of the sheet. This is especially so when the tempo and dynamiclines and the other indicia for the playing of the sheet are located, asheretofore, all over the sheet, so that to read them the eyes mustcontinuously travel from the top of the sheet to the middle or bottomand hack again. This defect which I have discovered in the oldlaterally-traveling music-sheet, I have remedied by placing all of theaforesaid indicia principally on one margin of the sheet, preferably onthe margin nearest the eyes of the player, because, as above indicated,the eyes will then be able to focus primarily on the indicia and yet,-and with little or nochange of focus, or additional effort, will sightin the general line of vision the rest of the sheet to the far margin,including the music perforations to which the near marginal indiciarelate, as well as any additional indicia on the middle or `far marginof the sheet.

yThe invention will be readily understood Ifrom the followingdescription, when conof New York, have invented certain' .to swingthrough an piano casing,

sidered in connection with the accompanying drawing, which latter showsonly some of the specific embodiments my invention is adapted to take.

In said drawing:

Figure l is a vertical section through the upper part of an uprightpiano, showing a tracker bar and music roll, &c., in side elevation;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the means for operatively supportingthe trackerbar and for driving the music roll and take-up spool;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation, looking from left to right at Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation, partly in section, taken on line 4`4 of Fig.3, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the music roll with the music sheet partlyunrolled;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view from side through the tracker'box; and

Fig 7fshows-in side elevation a modified means for inclinably supportingthe tracker bar and music sheet.

I will now describe the specific devices of the drawings showing my.invention applied to an upright piano, although, of course, it isapplicable also to a grandfpiano aild to automatic musical instrumentsgenera y:

l is the tracker box; 2 is an uprightly disposed tracker bar supportedin said box (compare Figs. l, 3 and 6). The tracker box is pivotallysuspended from an axis 3, opening in the case of the instrument so as toassume an inclined plaiying position, such as that vshown by the fullines in F ig. l; or, when out of play, to be returned within' thecasing of the instrument into the dotted position la. The music sheettravels laterally, preferably from right to left. The take-up spool 4 istherefore supported at the left of the tracker between suitable endbearings, and the music roll 5 is insertible at the right betweentheusual end bearings for the music-roll.

. vThe plan view in Fig. 2 shows the pivotal to side Suspension of thetracker box, comprising fixed standards 6, 6, supported within the andbrackets 7, 7, on the ends of the .tracker-box, the brackets andstandards being pivoted together at 3. 9-9 are shafts suitably supportedas shown by bearings on the top of the tracker box in alinement with thepivots 8. Each shaft has a stance, of

sprocket wheel 10 adapted to be suitably well understood manner from themotor of the instru-v connected and driven in any ment. 11 is a spiralgear wheel on each shaft in connection with kanother spiralV gear 12 onthe upper bearings Vfor the music roll and the take-up spool. Y

when the left-hand shaft 9 is driven from the motor it drives thetake-up spool -tounwindor play the music-sheet from right to left acrossthe tracker-bar. Reversely, when the play the airor melodyand theperforations 14g thev accompaniment; second, the tempo line 15, byfollowing which withthe pointer 1 6, connected with the motor of thelinstru- `ment,"the speed ofsaid motor and thetravel ofthe music-sheetarecontrolled, as is vwell understood in the art; third, the dynamicsexpression lineJ 17 which isfthesame as :the

- usual-dynamics line,

' the-points on the dynamics changed indication,

" pointernears the pointsv18following the leads, referring except Vthatit is located onfthis' samefmargin of the sheet', andV is compressedinto a narrowerfwidthL A 'In addition, there marks 18, consistingl ofvertical leads from linewhere said line beginsfa new or lwhich "factwilltherefore be brought automatically Vto the'playersnotice as histempo tempoline.

' Similarly, 19, Y

to rhythminarks 2O on the dynamics ling-thereby automatically call'- Ying the playeris attentiontol Vsaid vrhythm VVmarks, so that'he willlplay the vertically Y alined note-perforations Vwith a slightly notes.i

greater accentor a slightly greater degree of dynamics` than y thatindicatedV bythe dynamics f vSimilarly Vthere may ibe tempo line-*marksY i V,or'lead's .21invertical alinement vwith the Vnotes to besu'ng'toVshow their occurrence.

A Y the tempo linetoindicate the end4 of phrases, passages or'periods1in j Vthe musical c ompo'sitiomthe-marks indicating by their length orsizfe the durationof the Apause or expressive retard to be observed iinthe playingY of the'musicj-sheetl SuchV a music-'sheet is advantage whentraveling laterally and inclining' upwardly away lfromr 'the' player',so

rlhe result is that.

sitting at the Y ing its tar edge downwardlybelow the horiare shown:ytempo-line Y 19, lare tempo line marksor line -or` the ether.unaccented 'adapted to play a [music sheet having V note A, A `wiseinaplayedgto'the bestV thattheieyes Vfocusing primarily on the lindicia onthe lower margin of the sheet where 1t istraveling across thel tracker,will be able Vto sight the restof the sheets width therefrom withminimum eiort, especially the VVnote perforations incrosswise-o-the-sheet alinement, to which the indiciarelate. Of coursethe degree of inclination depends also upon vthe individual player, andespecially upon the height of the tracker boX relative to theplayerseyelevel'. I

Vhen the indicia are on the sheets lower margin it will be seen bytilting Fig; 5 Ybefore the eyes, that the lowerthe position of the sheetbelow the eye level the smaller may be its inclination, evento theeXtent'o making it almost or quitehoriz'ontal, or inclin- Z'ontal.'A 0nthe otherhand, the higher the sheet above theeye level' the greaterwithS5 advantage vcan b e its approachy toward verticality. Viliowever,whatever the level, itV

will Vbe found that inclining the sheet out of the true horizontal orvertical will prove advantageousand best lforl its readingwith minimumtiring 'ot andconfusiongto the eyes. u A i. VThe dotted -lines 1X, in'1, show a moditicationjwhere the tracker box does not swing so as to beadjustable 'to different angles of inclination, but i-Xed or rigidlybuilt into theV instrument so that its vertical 7' trackerba'rVand-'laterally traveling musicf .sheet are permanently'inclined. f

Fig. 7 shows another'modiiication wherein-the tracker boxgis supportedon thel links 2 6, 2 7, said' links Vbeingpivotally supported at 26@-and 27ad Jfrom the iframe or" the instrument. VThere 'are Va painfofthese links 26, 27, at each end'or1 'the tracker fboX,ithe resultbeing/that said'boX` and-its tracker and later- Y V'ally traveling musicsheet'canV be supported through astillgreater Vrangeof inclination to l.Y suit the eye Vlevel of 4the individual player.Y

The ulllinesshow one of the playing posi- 1.10 e Y tions Vandthedotted'lines out-ofplaying po- 1 sition'; -The' drive is Ydeliveredby chains V28 vfrom sprockets" 29 to sprockets V30, and:V Y

4thence through' yspiral gears like the gears 11 and"1 2 heretoforedescribedfin connection 115' with Fig,A 2, to the take-up spoolandmusicroll.' Any suitable means :isf-providedV fori Y maintaining theAadjustment ot the tracker'-VV 1, Infan' automatic" musical Vinstrument fperforationsinthe -body'fthereof 'and indicia pertaining to such note'perforationa the V combination of means-fon -pperatively V1275 Vsaidmusic sheet tol-travelend- ,irecti'on from one Ysidev towardfthe otherVside of the instrument while' said sheet supp ortin 'n' lies inf'a-Vsuiiiciently inclined positionrela- "tivelyt'o the `Yfront "of thevinstrument to.en '51"-30 able the performer to visually relate the noteperforations in the body of the music sheet with the indicia pertainingthereto, and automatic playing means to cooperate with the music sheetto play it.

2. In an automatic musical instrument the combination of a noteperforations and indicia arranged in alinement transversely with thenote perforations to which they relate, means inclined forwardly anddownwardly relatively to the front of the instrument for operativelysupporting the music sheet to travel endwise 'in a horizontal directionwith the music sheet lying in a substantially inclined position beforethe performer, and automatic playing means to coperate with the musicsheet to play it.

3. In an automatic musical instrument adapted to play a music sheethaving note perforations in the body thereof and related indicia upon amargin of the sheet, means inclined substantially in a directionforwardly and downwardly relatively to the front of the instrument foroperatively supporting the music sheet to travel endwise in a directionfrom one side toward the other side of the instrument while the musicsheet lies in a correspondingly inclined position to enable theperformer more easily to visually relate the note perforations to thecorresponding indicia located on the forward lower margin of the musicsheet.

4. In an automatic musical instrument, a tracker-bar substantiallyinclined downwardly and forwardly relatively to the front of theinstrument, a music sheet having note perforations in the body thereof,and related indicia upon the lower margin of the music sheet which isnearest to the performer, and means for operatively supporting saidmusic sheet to travel longitudinally and horizontally across saidinclined tracker-bar while 7 music sheet having the music sheet issubstantially inclined in a direction transversely of its length withthe indicia thereon located at the forward lower margin of the musicsheet.

5. In an automatic musical instrument, a tracker-bar substantiallyinclined downwardly and forwardly relatively to the front of theinstrument so that its lower end will be nearest to the performer, amusic sheet having note perforations in the body thereof and indiciaupon one of its margins, said indicia being in transverse alinement withand relating to note perforations in the body of the sheet, and spoolshaving their axes inclined to conform substantially with the inclinationof the tracker-bar and operative to support the music sheet and to causeit longitudinally across said inclined trackerbar in a direction fromone side toward the other side of the instrument while the music sheetis substantially inclined in a direction transversely thereof and withthe margin of the music sheet having the indicia thereon located towardthe lower edge of the sheet so that said indicia will be nearest to theperformer.

6. In an automatic musical instrument for playing a laterally travelingmusic sheet, the combination of a tracker bar inclined longitudinally ina direction forwardly and downwardly relatively to the front of theinstrument, means for operatively supporting a music sheet to travelendwise across said inclined tracker bar and in a direction from oneside toward the other side of the instrument while said sheet lies in acorrespondingly inclined position, and automatic playing means tocoperate with the music sheet to play it.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification this22d day of Au st, 1916.

MILIUS WILLIAM SCHERR, JR.

to travel

